


Food

by undergrounddaydreams



Series: 100 Themes Challenge [5]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-09
Updated: 2011-10-09
Packaged: 2017-10-24 10:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/262512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undergrounddaydreams/pseuds/undergrounddaydreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sarah hears the news that the Queen has died, she does what everybody does in these situations - she heads for the kitchen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Food

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth. I just like to play there. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made. For entertainment purposes and love of the source.

_My Lady, the Queen has passed! The whole of the Underground is in mourning for her departed soul. It is but the natural course, but...we shall miss her._

Sarah thought about Sir Didymus's news that morning as she chopped vegetables for a salad. Dad and Karen were out for the night and Toby was asleep upstairs. Dinner for one – again.

 _Queen._ The queen had died – a queen she hadn't even known about. She had maintained contact with her trio of friends from the Labyrinth over the past few years since The Night, and she had caught snippets of information about the people and politics of the Underground when they mentioned it from time to time. But nothing about a queen. It made her feel...she didn't really know, but whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant. It hung like a shadow over her day, taunting her. So, she did what everyone does when someone dies – she headed for the kitchen.

She wasn't sure about it, but she didn't know what else to do. She hadn't spoken to Jareth since That Night, but she thought she should do something. Condolences, acknowledgement of his loss, something. So she baked – strawberry shortcake with dark chocolate mousse. And she had asked Hoggle to deliver it to the king that afternoon.

Now that she thought about it, it seemed a silly thing to do, but it was too late now. Sarah sighed, using her knife to slide the tomatoes from the cutting board into the large wooden bowl filled with leafy greens. What's done is done.

"Hello, Sarah."

"Holy crap!" The knife clattered to the counter as she spun around to face the owner of the smooth baritone too close to her ear. Her eyes snapped up and locked with his. "You scared me." She swallowed her rising panic. "What are you doing here?"

"Relax, Sarah." He tilted his head and offered her a small, amused smile. "I'm merely paying a visit to an old friend."

She swallowed again, relaxing her death grip on the counter behind her as her eyes shifted downward to the object in his hands. "That's my cake."

He quirked a brow. "I thought it was mine."

She looked back up at him. "Well...yes...I mean, I made it. For you."

"I was curious about that."

"It's just something we do when someone dies. You know, to offer comfort." She turned back to the counter, picking up the knife and sucking in air that suddenly seemed in short supply.

She watched as the cake slid slowly onto the counter beside her, his hands lingering on either side, caging her. She stilled as she felt his wild hair tease the side of her face. Somehow having a large knife in her hand didn't give her any reassurance at all as his familiar seductive voice slid over her senses. "Share it with me?"

"Share it? With you?" She squeezed her eyes closed in embarrassment at the squeak in her voice. "Um...I was actually just making dinner."

"Even better."

She turned to face him as she felt him retreat. She watched with wide, bewildered eyes as he removed his jacket and draped it over a chair at the kitchen table. "What are you doing?"

He smiled as he rolled up the sleeves of his blousy shirt before meeting her eyes. "Helping. What are we making?"

She stared at him blankly, the knife clutched tightly in her hand. "You're staying for dinner?"

He closed the distance between them in a few short strides, slipping the knife from her grip. "So it would seem. Shall I finish with the vegetables?"

"Um...okay." She moved aside as he took her place at the counter, dazed at the turn of events. She was evidently going to be having a casual dinner with the Goblin King. What kind of alternate reality had she stepped into?

She watched as he expertly chopped a green pepper, sliding the perfect slices into the bowl. He glanced at her as he reached for the radishes. "I assume there's more than salad to this meal?"

His voice startled her out of her trance. She took a step back, looking around the kitchen in momentary confusion. "Oh...right." Her gaze fell on the refrigerator and it came back to her. "Salmon." She sighed softly, releasing the tension that had crept into her shoulders. "We're having salmon." She offered him a small hesitant smile before heading towards it and busying herself with pulling out the ingredients.

Finished with the salad, Jareth came to stand beside her, inspecting the bottles and bowls laid out on the counter as Sarah placed the salmon fillets onto cedar planks. He inspected each spice jar in turn before looking her way. "Honey?"

"In the cabinet."

"And lemon?"

"Refrigerator."

He smiled at her and began gathering additional ingredients, mixing them in the small bowl she had set on the counter. Sarah snuck glances at him as he worked, smiling to herself as he began to hum softly. She recognized the song; it was the one they had danced to. Retrieving the asparagus she had washed earlier, she bundled it and placed it in a pot to steam. That done, she moved on to set the table. It was so surreal that he was here at all, let alone cooking dinner. She took her time setting out the dishes, watching him.

Before long the asparagus and salmon were ready and they brought both to the table along with the salad. Jareth pulled out a chair and Sarah glanced at him cautiously before taking the seat. "Champagne or wine, perhaps?"

"Oh...um...I think there are still a few bottles of champagne left from Dad and Karen's anniversary party in the door of the refrigerator." She looked up at him. "But I'm not really old enough to drink."

He leaned in a little closer, resting his elbows on the back of her chair, that dangerous disarming smile on his lips. "Allow me to tempt you? Just this once?"

She nodded silently, any words she might have spoken lodged in her throat. He nodded once in acknowledgement and turned to retrieve the champagne. She listened as she ran her hands over her face and into her hair - his boots clicking on the linoleum, the suck of the rubber seal on the refrigerator door, the tinkle of glass. His presence alone was intoxicating; she didn't know if she'd survive the alcohol. She rested her head in her hands, letting out a slow breath. _Be cool, Sarah. Your kingdom is as great, and all that._

She looked up as he set two crystal flutes on the table, filling both with a generous amount of the bubbling liquid before taking the seat across from her.

"A toast?" He raised his glass and she followed suit, holding his gaze. "To old friends and to...getting reacquainted." He touched his glass to hers, the chime of the crystal high and musical, and somehow slightly ominous, like the marking of the start or end to something. It was unsettling and she took a quick gulp of her champagne, turning her attention from his gaze to the food in front of her.

They ate in silence for a while until she couldn't take it anymore. Dispelling the weight of not knowing what he was thinking was worth risking embarrassment over anything she might say. She shot him a quick glance. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. I appreciate your concern. It was her time, but my Mother will be missed."

She looked up quickly at that. _Mother._ "Oh...your mother...I thought..."

He gave her a small, knowing smile. "You assumed."

"Yes." She looked down, spearing her last bite of salmon. She chewed thoughtfully, much too aware of his unwavering gaze. Setting her fork down, she reached for the champagne flute. "So...you're not married?"

"No."

She could hear the amusement in his voice, and she focused on sipping her champagne. She wasn't brave enough to look him in the eye, afraid of what she might see, of what he might see. Instead, she stood, collecting her plate. "Dessert?"

"Please."

Continuing to avoid his gaze, she added his plate to hers, and put them both in the sink. Retrieving two smaller plates from the cabinet, she cut generous slices of the shortcake. Silently, she made her way back to the table, setting one of the plates in front of Jareth before taking her seat with the other.

She listened to the clink of his fork against the china plate as she took a bite of her cake, hesitating a moment when he spoke. "Delicious."

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it." She couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips, delighted at his praise.

They ate silently for a few minutes longer before he spoke again. "Salmon, asparagus, honey, chocolate, strawberries, champagne – these are all considered aphrodisiacs, are they not?"

Sarah looked up at him quickly. "What? I mean...maybe. I don't know. Perhaps they are. I know salmon is really high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for mental function and cognition, and asparagus is considered an anti-carcinogen and is high in vitamins B and C. And I think berries and chocolate are high in antioxidants as well, and honey has all sorts of health benefits..."

"You're babbling."

"Am I?" Sarah set down her fork, folding her hands in her lap.

"Do I make you nervous?"

"No...yes. Yes, you do." She looked up at him. "I don't really know why you're here. I don't know what you're going to do."

"Don't you?" Jareth stood slowly, unfolding languidly from the chair. Sarah watched warily as he came around the table to stand in front of her. She turned unconsciously to face him as he placed one hand on the back of her chair, the other coming up to cup her cheek as he leaned down to eye level. "Such a fascinating woman. To give comfort to an enemy.

"What I'm going to do, Sarah, is what I should have done all those years ago." His thumb traced the line of her cheekbone and she swallowed, tears that she didn't understand stinging her eyes, threatening to overflow. "I'm going to kiss you." He leaned closer, his lips a breath away from her own. "Is that alright?"

Her lips parted slightly and she drew a ragged breath. "I...ah..." Words failed her so she simply nodded, unsure and overwhelmed, but completely captivated.

He smiled before pressing his lips softly to hers. He teased her with his mouth and she yielded, leaning in for more, practically melting when his tongue slid slowly over hers.

He tasted of strawberries and chocolate and champagne.

~o0O0o~

**Author's Note:**

> This one is a bit of shameless personal fantasy fulfillment. I really just wanted to see Jareth whip up something in the kitchen. A man that knows his way around a kitchen - that's sexy, right?
> 
> Written for the 100 Themes Challenge: #87 Food
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please, leave a contribution in the little box. ;) Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


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